Runaway Buccaneer
by Dixiehnsnluver
Summary: *Pirates of the Carribbean* Jack/OC... Lachlan sneaks aboard a ship..Cap'n Jack Sparrows ship. Chaos insues..
1. Escape

Runaway Buccaneer 

Chapter 1: The Escape

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. I've simply borrowed the characters, settings, and situations to create my own fantasy story.

Lachlan Nola timidly crawled out of the window. She couldn't stay in this retched place any longer. Her aunt, no her guardian, was too much to bear. All day long it was you aren't proper enough, you don't sit straight enough, and your corset isn't tight enough. Lachlan was never ENOUGH. So, mustering all the courage she possessed she had grabbed a bit of food, packed two dresses and under garments, and was preparing to get away from this torturous place. 

Quietly she snuck her way to the docks. Port Royal was always full of ships. No one would notice 'til daybreak that she had gone missing. Her plan was to sneak aboard one England bound ship. Perhaps she'd make it before they caught her. If, indeed she were caught, she prayed the stories of a hand being the fare were false.

Quickly she ducked behind a stack of crates as two drunken men loudly tumbled their way past her. Then, using a child's game of elimination she randomly chose a vessel to board. She snuck aboard and was halfway across the deck when she heard loud raised voices coming from behind a closed door. 

"Alright lads! Everyone on board?" a voice rang out. There came a chorus of 'Ayes' and Lachlan ducked behind a stack of something-or-anothers closer to the door. "Let's cast off then." 7 men came out of the room and started about readying the ship to sail. The presumed captain stood talking with another crew member.  "Are you sure Anamaria wanted to stay with Elizabeth?" he asked the crewman.

"Quite sure, Jack. Dunno why though. Bloody bunch of stuck-up Brits are all that live there." The man shrugged and walked off to help with whatever needed doing. Captain Jack looked around at his crew, on his ship and felt content. Of course, he had lost one of his crew, but that was okay. He thought he heard a sound to his right and turned quickly to look but upon seeing nothing dismissed it as the inevitable rat. 

As the captain turned and looked her way, Lachlan held her breath. As he turned and walked away she slowly let it out the quietly snuck into the room where the meeting had been held. To the right of the large room which was presumably where they ate, stood an ornate door. Lachlan figured it was her best bet of hiding and opened it. It seemed to be an office of some sort. There was a log book on the desk that hardly looked used and a door standing open to the side. It was a large room by ship standards with a large window overlooking the sea and a cot on a wall. She walked over to the window. After awhile of standing there she judged they were far enough offshore that she could at least move around. 

She moved back out and began to read the log on the desk. She gasped as she came upon a startling fact. They were pirates! This log was an account of every place, every ship this crew and 'Captain Jack Sparrow' had pillaged. Lachlan, caught up in the tales of cursed pirates, noticed not the hours that passed, until there came footsteps to the door. "G'night, lads! Wake me if there's trouble!" came the voice of the captain outside the door. The captain's quarters! She was in the captain's quarters! Lachlan frantically ducked down behind the desk as the door opened. She tried to crawl under it but could not without moving the chair. Desperately she leant her back against the desk and buried her head in her dress. Perhaps he wouldn't hear her. Perhaps he would walk on past her. She egged him on as he walked through the room and to the door. The door she had closed after walking out of it. The door that had been opened when she had entered. Curse her mother for instilling that habit in her. 

Jack Sparrow stood in front of the door listening for the intruder. There must have been one. He always left his door open. And yet there it stood, closed. He heard a shuffling by his desk and slowly inched his hand to his sword. Taking a few steps towards the desk, he slowly unsheathed it. He pulled away the chair and aimed his sword at the intruder crouching head down, back against the desk drawers. The intruder lifted its head and Jack was surprised to find it was a female. She stood up quickly, frightened of the shiny, pointed object pointing at her. Unsure of how to handle the situation he stepped forward. The girl stepped back a look of fear across her features. She was backed against the adjacent wall with a pirate's sword at her neck.

"Are you going to cut off my hand now?" Lachlan stuttered almost inaudibly. Before Jack could so much as utter one word, the lass fainted from the stress.

Author's note: I know nothing of pirates. I accept the fact this could become a Mary-Sue. Oh Well. Life goes on. However, I shall enjoy writing every bit of this fic.


	2. Meet Cap'n Sparrow

Runaway Buccaneers

Chapter 2: Meet Cap'n Sparrow

Disclaimer: Unless it be from me head, I own it not. Translation of my ramblings: If it's from the movie, don't credit me. : )

            Jack made an annoyed noise and sheathed his sword. He hadn't meant to scare the girl. And now she was unconscious on his floor. It wasn't exactly where or how he preferred his women, if in fact this was a woman. She could have been a child by the look of her fearful face. Jack shook his head and stooped down to pick up the girl. He struggled to open the door and unceremoniously dumped her on the bed, effectively waking the girl up.

            "Wha—" Lachlan mumbled sitting up and coming face to face with Captain Jack Sparrow. "Eep!" she let out a noise and struggled to put some distance between them. "Who, exactly, are you?" she asked quietly, wanting to make sure she had assumed correctly.

            "Why, don't you recognize me?" The man said taking a step back. "I'm the captain of this ship, the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow." The man said taking off his hat and bowing elaborately. Lachlan went pale. This was the man in charge, the one who would decide her fate. Jack Sparrow shook his head quickly and consequently stumbled to the side a bit. "Oh no, none of that fainting business. We have a small matter to settle. You see, you've snuck aboard my ship. And the pirate's code says that the penalty is death." Lachlan gasped.

            "But—you aren't really going to kill me are you?" Lachlan got up on her knees on the wobbly cot. "Mr. Sparrow you just can't… I'll. I'll…I don't know what I'll do, but I know I'll be of more help to you alive than dead."

            "It's bad luck to have a woman on board, savvy?" Jack Sparrow said calmly. 

Lachlan seemed at a loss for words. She stumbled through a few syllables before finally uttering, "You can't! Oh, please, you don't understand!"

"And just what might I not understand, sweets?" Jack asked, sitting in the desk chair and propping his feet up on the desk. Lachlan glanced at her feet.

"I had to get away. My guardian, my adopted aunt one might call her, was trying to force me into some mold. I'm 20 and thus should be married by now, but because of my parents' deaths, I accepted no suitor. 'All the suitable men are taken' my aunt would gripe as she slapped me to get me to stand up straight. No matter how I tried to please her I was never good enough. I had to be free! I couldn't live with not being good enough. There were too many expectations." Lachlan searched the man's face for any signs of sympathy. She continued, "And so, I fled with a little food and clothing to the dock. Where I thought to sneak aboard a ship and perhaps go back to England. Upon random elimination, yours is the ship I wound up on."

"Right…" Jack began but was interrupted by Lachlan.

"I can cook! I'll cook food for you as payment for passage to where ever you sail next… but then again, my food can also double as a poisonous substance. What else…Aha! I have a locket my mum gave me. It must be worth something. Just...You can't kill me. Not when I've finally escaped!" Lachlan pleaded. Jack looked at the woman. He had already decided not to kill her. Despite his title, he wasn't fond of killing innocent women or children. His crew wouldn't like having her aboard, but they'd grudgingly accept her presence so long as he showed them he welcomed her aboard. Slowly Jack stood up and turned to face Lachlan. 

"I can't bring myself to take the token from yer mom from ya, nor can I accept your…offer to cook." Lachlan blanched. "However, I won't kill you. There must be something that you can help with. Tomorrow we will see what that is, exactly." Jack finished and had time to brace himself before Lachlan hurled herself at him.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!!" Lachlan mumbled into his shirt.

"Right…watch the goods there, love." Jack said stepping back. Lachlan blushed and quickly let go. "Now, where are you gonna sleep? I don't trust the crew…" Jack cursed inwardly. "You must sleep in my bed. I'll…I'll sleep out here to make sure nobody messes with you." Damn, he had been looking forward to two hours of honest sleep. 

"Oh no! I won't take your bed! I…Oh! I can drag three of those pillows in your room to the window ledge thing. I can sleep there. That way, you'll have your bed, and I won't be too much hassle!" Lachlan said. Jack followed her into the room and watched amused as Lachlan drug the three large pillows to the ledge and tried to situate them on there. He laughed out loud when she fell down exhausted on the ledge that was now covered in pillows.

"Did I mention the pillows were heavy, love?" Jack chuckled and staggered to his bed as Lachlan just groaned.

"Thanks for the forewarning," she uttered finally, burying her face in the pillows. She grew silent after that, and Jack could hear the heavy breathing of a deep sleep moments later. He chuckled to himself as he got situated in his cot. Finally comfortable, he looked at the P-shaped scar engraved on his forearm. It seemed now he wasn't worthy of the title 'pirate.' A ruthless pirate would not have allowed this girl to live. Jack had.

Tomorrow would be when the others discovered that he had gone soft on a little girl. He couldn't help but let out another light laugh as he tried to imagine the reactions of his crew when they discovered. He could only hope that they would stick with him in the matter, as they had in most others. Surely they would, as the girl did seem to be able to put up a decent fight against him, and could probably put up an even better one with him by her side. With this thought in mind, Jack Sparrow drifted off into his deep and long awaited slumber.

A/N: Many thanks to my beta and idea-helperer Selah. To all of my reviewers: you, my friends, rock. Thank you for your suggestions and encouraging words. If at anytime my story gets too stoopid to bear, please tell me what is wrong with it. I want to know so that I may somehow remedy it, eh? Any ideas are welcome. Lol.


	3. Crew d Introductions

Runaway Buccaneer

Chapter 3: Crew-d Introductions

Disclaimer: Arg. Take not me character and blame not for the use of ones from the movie.

            Captain Jack Sparrow awoke two hours later and staggered to his desk for a drink. It seemed sleep would not come for longer, and his beloved rum would have to serve as the only remedy for the killer headache he was suffering. He swallowed a little of the precious liqueur and stumbled back towards his cot. There, still on the window ledge was the girl-what was her name?-Anyway, whatever her name was, she was a nuisance. Sleeping all too peacefully, and cramped up on the tiny ledge on top of that. Jack made a scornful face, took another sip, and placed the bottle on the floor. He walked over to the girl and picked her up and placed her on his bed. If he wasn't to be using it tonight, why not let the lass have a place to stretch out on? Then he picked up his bottle and made his way out on deck to inform his crew of their newest addition.

            "Gibbs, gather the crew. I have an announcement to make." He slurred, waving in the relative direction of the cabins. In minutes his ten or so member crew was standing before him. It should have been more, but for the absence of Anamaria. Jack shrugged. She'd get tired of life on shore and meet up with them somewhere. She always did. Anamaria was the sister that Jack never had. Although, she didn't drink nearly enough. Jack was brought out of his thoughts by Gibbs clearing his throat. He stood up straight, trying to hide the fatigue and the drunkenness as best he could. "Right, my announcement..." he paused for effect, then dived right in. "I discovered a stowaway on board." The men began to talk excitedly about 'walking the plank' and other gruesome stowaway deaths. "However, we will not be killing _her_." Jack said and wasn't surprised to hear a gasp run through his crew. Tearlach was the first to recover. 

            "But the code…" he started

            "…Is more of a guideline really," Jack cut him off.  "Anyway, when she wakes up, I'm guessing sometime in the next three hours as that will be dawn, I will be introducing her to you all. No lewd comments or anything of the sort, savvy?" His crew nodded and grumbled as they continued about doing their chores. Jack stood for awhile looking out at the sea. He loved the feeling of freedom it brought him. An hour later Lachlan awoke on Jack's bed. She sat up slowly and looked about the lamp lit room. It wasn't exactly her idea of cozy, but at least it wasn't as bad as the horror stories she had heard from sailors in Port Royale. 

            Lachlan carefully climbed out of the bed and shook her dress to straighten out any wrinkles. She walked cautiously to the door that led to the deck. Opening it just a little, she found that there were only 4 or so pirates on deck. Dare she venture out? She tentatively stepped out then squared her shoulders. Lachlan Nola was no simpering _girl. _4 measly, bloodthirsty pirates couldn't scare her…if she closed her eyes and pretended they weren't there. She stepped out onto the deck and opened her eyes. So far she hadn't been noticed. She walked to the railing and stared out at the dark water.

            "Eh, Lass!" called a voice from above her. She looked up to find Jack Sparrow at the helm. Lachlan gave a half- hearted wave then looked back nervously to where the present crew was working. They had all paused in their labor to catch a glance of the girl their captain had mentioned. She waved at them as well, feeling a blush grace her cheeks at the attention. 

            "This's th'lass, is it?" Kursar, a crew member, called to the captain. Jack Sparrow nodded in his usual drunken manner and slurred, "Aye, tha'be the lass that snuck aboard me ship and commandeered me window sill as a bed." Lachlan glanced around at the crew members faces. Were they not the least bit worried that they had a drunk as a "cap'n." By the looks of the crew, she gathered they were all pretty loyal to Jack, no matter how inebriated he got. Lachlan made her way to the stairs that led to where Jack stood and slowly made her way up. "How'd ya sleep, love?" Jack asked keeping his eyes on where he was sailing. 

            "Good, considering I slept on the windowsill of a pirate ship and yet somehow found myself awaking in a certain captain's cot…"  Lachlan said idly toying with a bit of rope hanging over the railing to the lower deck. Jack looked at her and grinned.

            "Ya looked a bit cramped there, so I took the liberty o' movin' ya. No offense meant, love." Lachlan couldn't help but give a small smile back.

            "None taken, Captain." She said. She couldn't believe she was here and she got the feeling that Jack couldn't either. She glanced down to see what the crew was doing. They were all seeing to whatever needed to be done to keep the ship moving. Some glance up occasionally to look at her curiously and she would acknowledge them with a nod of her head. However, one particular crew member kept looking up at her and scowling. She didn't quite like the way he was looking at her and was tempted to go stand behind Jack to avoid the scowling gaze. Lachlan instead turned and walked to the side of the ship and stared into the murky depths of the sea-waters. 

A/N: Sorry it took so long. I have a demanding editor/beta, and ff.net was being a bugger. Suggestions, as always, are welcome. 


	4. Matelot

Runaway Buccaneer

Chapter 4: The Strom Arrives

Disclaimer: Arg. Take not me character and blame not for the use of ones from the movie.

            Lachlan spent perhaps hours staring into the waters murky depths before her heart worked up enough courage for her to venture down to where the crew still lingered about. They were a sorted group of people, most having multiple piercings and tattoos. Most ignored her and went about with what they were doing. However a few of them gave her looks fit to chill a soul. How was she to survive this journey?

            She wandered back into the large room she had stumbled through when having first gotten on the ship. The tables were filthy. Was she to be expected to eat on them? Well, they had another thing coming if they thought she would eat amongst such filth. A quick survey of the kitchen area found a bucket and rag and another search gave her soap and water. She started on the first table with the intention of just doing one for herself and whichever lucky crewmembers wanted to eat cleanly. Once she got started though she couldn't stop, not even once all the tables had been wiped down. She poured all her frustrations and worries into scrubbing the benches the floor, the walls, whatever could be scrubbed. What was she doing here? Why was here on this ship any better than where she had been, safe and dry on land? Then she remembered her guardian and her cleaning was sped up with the memories of her unforgiving guardian and her strict ways. 

            Lachlan didn't notice that a pirate walked in and observed her. Nor did she notice that one by one all seven of the crew came in to observe her feverish cleaning spree. It wasn't until the captain cleared his throat and upon getting no response, nipped the rag from her hand in the midst of her scrubbing a corner.

            "Lachlan, the crew is wondering what got you in such a frenzy. I think it best you stop luv" The captain said quietly throwing the rag back to a random crewmember. Lachlan stood up and looked around Cap'n Jack to see the rest of the crew quietly staring at her. Trying not to blush she grabbed her bucket and brushed around Jack to head out to the deck. 

            "Just thought you might want a clean area." She said with as much dignity as she could muster as she walked out the door. She dumped the dirty water over and leaned up against the rail fighting the tears of frustration. She shouldn't let things affect her like that. What had come over her? She stared out at the murky water and tried to forget all her troubles. She imagined them washing away with each wave that gently crashed up upon the boat. She didn't know how long she stayed that way, but it wasn't very long until one of the crew politely informed her that she was requested in the dining area to partake in the meal. She almost laughed at the pirate's formal language but managed to check her grin and equally as formally accept the invitation and the arm offered.

            The man's name was Matelot. He had been a part of Jack's crew for only 5 months but couldn't see himself with any other captain as jack was the best one he'd come across. Lachlan enjoyed the man's tales of his adventures. They were slightly watered down and omitting the slightly less than kosher events granted, but still, Lachlan was fascinated. Perhaps if she could befriend Matelot, life on the Black Pearl wouldn't be so bad…


End file.
